Below Rory's River
by iwrestledabearonce
Summary: When Rocky Merric's little brother Sam gets beat up by the school bully. Rocky and his friends Mallory, Marty, and Clyde take it upon themselves to seek revenge. Will anger, love, and friendship cause everything to fall apart?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Mallory!" I heard my father's deep voice yell from the downstairs of our house. I rolled my eyes as I drew my blinds to avoid him from noticing I had my window open.

"What?!" I screamed.

"Get down here right now young lady!" He yelled. I grunted and looked at my clock. I didn't have time for this. I ran to my door and saw my reflection in the full length mirror hanging from the back of the door. 'Shit' I thought seeing my tank top that barely covered my chest. I looked around my room quickly for something to put over it. I grabbed the first hooded sweatshirt I saw and threw it over my head. "Mallory!"

"I'm coming!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "Jesus." I said to myself. I swung the door open and ran down the steps. My father stood on the opposite side of the kitchen counter with an unfolded piece of paper in his hand.

"What the hell is this?!" He asked angrily. I shrugged.

"You tell me," I replied in a dull tone.

"These are your grades missy! Two D's, an E, and a C-!?" His voice got louder with every word. I shrugged.

"Sorry," I replied and glanced past him at the clock. I danced around impatiently. "Look is this going to…"

"You need to work on your grades young lady! I have no idea what makes you think you can slack off on your school work just because…"

"Just because you're never around dad?! Maybe if you were I'd be doing better!"

"Don't you even begin to blame this on me!"

"You're right dad! You've been such an awesome parent; this couldn't possibly have anything to do with you!!" I screamed. Tears flooded into my eyes. I turned and ran back up the steps. So much for a good night. I slammed my bedroom door and locked it. I grabbed my cell phone off my desk and pulled the blinds up. I slipped my thin body through the window and climbed down the lattice that was nailed to the side of the house. I ran through my back yard and over our picket fence.

To those who didn't know the Makler family; which as of about a year ago had become just me and my father, we looked picture perfect. My father was this states most renowned cardio surgeon. He was constantly traveling. I spent about 3.5 weeks out of a month on my own in our large house. Now don't get me wrong, I loved it. I could do whatever I pleased. That just meant that the half of a week he did spend at home was hell. My mother had died just under a year ago from a car accident. She was driving home late from work one night when she was hit by a drunk driver. My mother and I were best friends. My father and I barely knew each other.

When I finally reached my destination I was at the backside of a cozy sized family home. I tapped on the window as quietly as possible. I stood impatiently doing the same little dance I had done earlier in the kitchen. Finally the window slid open. One of my best friends stood on the other side.

"You're late," he said with a smile.

"Well shame on me for keeping the great Rocky Merric waiting," I said sarcastically. He laughed and moved out of the way so I could climb through. My heart sunk a little when I saw his little brother Sam sitting on his bed with a bag of frozen vegetables to his eye. Not that I didn't like Sam. It was just that I had wanted to spend some time alone with Rocky. Since my mom had died I became the girl that had gotten around the block her share of times. That wasn't exactly something I was proud of, but after the accident I lost all self respect. I stopped caring about everything. Rocky was one of the few that I hadn't done anything with. We were best friends, and had been for a long time.

I realized that the frozen vegetables probably meant Sam had gotten hurt.

"What happened to you?" I asked.

"You know that George Tooney kid?" Rocky asked. I looked over at him and nodded. "He beat him up."

"What an ass hole," I replied as I sat down next to Sam. "Let me see it." I said as I took the bag from him. I placed my hand on the side of his face. "I should beat the shit out of him. Teach that little fuck face a lesson." Rocky laughed.

"I'm gonna take care of him," he replied.

"Rocky, the kid is like twice your size," I replied with a smirk.

"Size means nothing," he said nobly. I laughed. Sam shrugged and took the bag back from me. He stood up and walked to the door.

"I'll leave you two alone for a while," he said. I laughed.

"Tell everyone else at your school if they mess with you again I'll kick their asses okay?" I told him. He smiled, nodded and walked out. Rocky laughed and stood up. He walked over and sat next to me. I looked at him and smiled. He looked in my eyes with a small smile. Then he began to frown.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Huh?" I replied.

"Rory, don't pretend like there isn't something wrong, I know you better than that," he said. All of my close friends referred to me as Rory, so did my mom. That's why I liked it. It felt good to hear it from someone that I loved.

"Nothing, my dad and I just got into it again,"

"What about this time?" he asked.

"Grades," I replied with a smirk. He smiled and laughed.

"Well jesus kid, you gotta work on that," he said. I laughed. I stood up and walked to the other side of the room where I saw a picture of us that was in a frame buried under some papers and other random clutter. I uncovered it and held up. He came up to me with an apathetic look on his face.

"Yeah umm… my brother," I laughed and slapped his arm.

"Don't go trying to blame this on Sam! I take the time to frame this all nice for you, and then you go and just bury it!" I scolded him.

"I'm sorry, hug it out?" he asked as he gave me the puppy dog eyes. I laughed and gave him a hug.

"Okay, but if I eve see this anywhere but right smack dab where everyone can see it than I'll be really really mad at you!" I replied as I gave him a hug. I took a step back from him and turned on the radio and began dancing. I slipped my sweat shirt off and threw it on the chair. I stopped dancing when I noticed he was looking me up and down. I laughed.

"Jesus kid, have some humility," I joked. He laughed. I took a step towards him and grabbed his hands placing them on my hips. I put my hands on his shoulders and made him dance with me. I looked up at him. He was looking down and smiling. He leaned down like he was about to kiss me when my phone rang. I laughed awkwardly. I picked it up assuming it was my dad. I looked at it and saw it was our friend Marty.

"It's Marty!" I said excitedly. Marty was one of our best friends and well known to everyone my number one booty call/ "fuck buddy" if you will. I saw Rocky's face fill with disappointment. I set the phone down and looked up at him and smiled. "He can wait." Rocky smiled.

"Hey Rory, I've wanted to talk to you about something," he said.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Well um…" my phone rang again. I groaned.

"Hold that thought," I said as I answered it. "Hello?"

"Rory?"

"Yes Marty, who else would be answering my phone?"

"I need you here right now," he said.

"Well you're going to have to settle for your sock or something because I'm a little busy, sorry," I replied.

"No, it's not that, I just need you here, I need someone to talk to," he said. I looked at Rocky. I sighed. I guess Rocky and I would have to save our moment for later.

"Alright, I'll be over soon," I said finally. Rocky looked very disappointed. I hung up the phone and looked at Rocky. "I'm sorry, Marty needs me."

"What just to get his dick wet?" he asked.

"Fuck you," I snapped as I grabbed my sweat shirt and walked angrily to the window. He rushed up behind me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way," he apologized.

"Well than how did you mean it? Because that kind of just explains itself," I replied with a biting tone.

"I just was going to tell you are one of my closest friends and well, I just think you're better than all that," he said. He shrugged. "Whatever, just be careful on the way over there. I'll see you tomorrow at school." I stepped forward and hugged him.

"Thanks Rock," I said as I gave him a kiss on the cheek. He smiled and nodded. I climbed out the window and walked in the direction of Marty's house. Whatever he wanted better be damn important to have interrupted me and Rocky's night of hanging out.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Darkness surrounded me as I dodged through random yards. I snuck past a screeching pit bull chained to the side of a trailer. I tripped over his chain. My mind panicked as I tried to get up but slipped. My head flipped over revealing the dark brown underside of my hair. I tossed my head over as my long hair flipped. The light blonde top layers settled calmly. I jumped up and sprinted just barely out of the dogs reach. The front of the dog's owner's trailer lit up as a woman in her slippers opened the front door. I looked back briefly as I kept running.

"Who's out there?!" she yelled. I finally slid to a stop in front of a door of another trailer and knocked impatiently. I tall light haired guy answered the door looking exhausted. He wiped his eyes and squinted like he was attempting to figure out who I was.

"Mallory?" he said while yawning.

"Kile, I'm here for Marty," I said skeptically. He glanced at me and checked out my now somewhat dusty outfit.

"Yeah, I wouldn't want you unless you cleaned up anyways," he said.

"Shut up fuck face," I said as I pushed him out of the way and stepped inside. He put his arm out and spun me around. I glared up at him. He leaned down and kissed me on the lips.

"Uhh!" I pushed him away. "God Kile, get the fuck away from me." I walked back towards Marty's room. "Eww." I said quietly to myself. I opened his door and saw him sitting on his bed with his face buried in his hands. His dark brown hair looked as though he'd just woken up. He didn't even bother looking up when I walked it. His room looked typical; messy, like a tornado had flown through it. I shut the door quietly and tip toed through the cluttered floor and sat down next to him on the bed. I put my arm around him and kissed the side of his head. "What's wrong boo-boo?" I asked. He looked up at me. He slipped his arm around my waist and hugged me.

"My brother is such a fucking dick," he said. I sighed.

"Tell me about it," I replied, "What'd he do?"

"The usual. I'm just getting sick of it. I can't handle it anymore," he buried his face in my shoulder. I rubbed the top of his head. I backed up a little and lifted his face up so he was looking at me.

"Forget about him. You just gotta learn to ignore him, and avoid him where you can," I said.

"Easier said than done," he replied.

"Yeah well you're sure as hell not getting anywhere by sitting around and sulking about it," I said. I looked at me and stood up.

"Fucking figures; you know, if I knew you were going to be such a bitch about it I wouldn't have called you," he snapped.

"Fuck you Marty. I ran all the way over here, ditching Rocky, to be here for you! What the fuck else do you want me to say?! I'm just trying to help. You know, my life isn't a fucking fairy tale either!" I yelled and headed for the door. He stopped and grabbed my arm.

"Wait Rory," he said. "I'm sorry, I'm just stressed. Don't go." I sighed.

"We've gotta stop this," I said with a small smirk.

"Stop what?" he asked. I laughed.

"Nothing, it just seems like every conversation I've had tonight has the word fuck in it at least forty times," I said as I laughed and sat back down. He sat down next to me and put one hand on my back, and the other on my thigh. I bit my lip. "You know what I bet would make you feel better?"

"What's that?" He asked. I smirked and slipped my sweatshirt off. He smiled and looked down at my chest. "Oo, my favorite." He said referring to my shirt. He turned and lay on this back. I straddled him as he slipped his shirt off. I leaned down and kissed him gently. He slid his tongue into my mouth slyly. I raised the corners of my mouth as I massaged his tongue with mine. He had his hands on my waist as he began slipping my shirt up. He stopped. "Wait, if you were going to hang out with Rocky why were you wearing this shirt?" He asked. I sat up.

"I don't know, it's just a shirt Marty,"

"I know, but it's my favorite, and you know that. I mean, look at it, and you in it." He said. I shrugged.

"Marty, does this really matter right now?" I asked. His eyes went from wandering to looking at me.

"You were going to hook up with him!" he said. I felt my stomach drop.

"What?!"

"You were going to try and hook up with Rocky!" He said again as he sat up. I stayed on top of him.

"What makes you think that?" I asked.

"Why else would you dress like that to go hang out with him?" he asked. I shrugged.

"I don't know Marty, what the hell is wrong with you?" I shrieked.

"I just…"

"You know why would it even matter? It's not like we're a couple," I pointed out. He stopped and looked down.

"You're right, it's perfectly fine," he said. He put his hands on my waist and pushed me over. He stood up and grabbed my sweat shirt. He threw it onto the bed. "You should go." He said. I stood up and placed my hand on his arm.

"Marty, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way I mean…"

"I know what you meant. You are free to do what… and who you please," he said. He looked at me, "It's not like I've ever stopped you before anyways."

I grabbed my sweatshirt and phone and opened the door. "Fuck this; I don't have to put up with this." I slammed the door and walked out. Kile sat in the living room watching TV.

"Did you little kids have a fight?" He asked.

"Fuck you Kile," I said not even looking at him. He stood up in between me and the door. He grabbed my arms and pushed me up against the wall.

"Don't mind if I do," he said as he began kissing my neck. I tried to push him off but was met with too much resistance. The alcohol on his breath was nauseating.

"Kile, get off!" I yelled and struggled to break free. He pushed harder and attempted to unbutton his pants. "Kile! Get away from me! Stop!" I screamed. My heart raced. I couldn't fight him. Marty came out of his room and pushed Kile back into the lazy boy.

"Get the fuck off her Kile," he said. Kile looked up confused. Marty rolled his eyes and led me back into his room. He sat down on his bed. "I'm sorry." He said.

"Thanks," I replied and cleared my throat. "I mean, you know, for fighting off your brother." I said. He nodded.

"You wanna sit?" he asked. I shrugged and sat down.

"Why don't you just ask me to be your girlfriend?" I asked. He looked at me. "Well clearly you don't want me with any other guys, but if you don't want to make the commitment."

"I want you to want to be with me," he said, "and if you wanted to you wouldn't go around sleeping with other guys." He had a point. Then again I had no idea what I wanted at this point. I was just trying to find something that felt right. That's all I had done since my mother had died. I'd searched vigorously until I could find even a glimpse of hope that I could be saved from this lifestyle. I didn't see that in Marty. I did however see it in Rocky.

"Can I just stay with you tonight please?" I asked. He nodded and stood up. He searched around on his floor and found a pair of sweat pants. He handed them to me. I slipped off my blue jeans revealing a white thong. Marty didn't even look twice at me. I slipped the sweat pants on and lay in his bed. He lay down behind me and put his arm around me. He brushed my hair off my neck and kissed it. He kept kissing me until I spun around and wrapped my arm around him. He kissed my lips and smiled. "Thanks Marty," I said as I kissed him one last time. He smiled and closed his eyes. I smiled and buried my face in his chest. I felt safe, but that hope was still dim. I prayed desperately that I'd find what I was looking for soon. For now, I would lay in the arms of a guy I… really liked and trusted. And let myself fall into dream world.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I awoke in a daze to my cell phone screaming. Pitch blackness had swallowed me. I glanced at my phone. It was my alarm. I hit dismiss and rolled over. Marty hadn't so much as flinched. How the boy managed to get up in the morning was a mystery to me. I shook him slightly. He grunted.

"Marty!" I said quietly.

"What?" he mumbled almost in coherently.

"Time to get up for school sweetie pie," I said with a smirk. He moaned and rolled over onto his stomach. "Marty come on," I tickled his sides. He scrunched up in a ball.

"Fine," he groaned with a laugh and sat up.

"Kay, I'm going to go home to shower. I'll see you at school. Make sure you're not late," I said as I kissed his forehead. He looked up hopefully.

"Can I come?" he asked. I shook my head.

"Daddy's home," I replied. He looked disappointed. "Maybe next time; sorry babe." I leaned forward and kissed his lips. I turned and headed for the door. I opened it and turned back to him. "Don't just go back to sleep. If you're not at school by ten till I'm calling your mom." He nodded.

"Okay! I get it!" he said. I smiled and closed the door behind me. Kile was passed out on the couch. Court TV was playing on the television set. I slipped out the door quietly.

I sprinted home in the dark. I climbed back up and through my window. I slipped into my closet and found a pair of True Religion blue jeans and an affliction t-shirt. I took a quick shower and got changed. At 17 years old I was extremely independent, and to my surprise the keys to my new Audi A6 still hung on the wall by the door. I'd assumed he would have taken them with him. Some parent he was. He didn't even know how to discipline is own kid. I grabbed a muffin from the cupboard and slipped into the garage. His Mercedes was gone. He probably got a hooker and a hotel room after our fight the previous night. I jumped in my car and sped off to school.

I found the first place I saw open and parked it. I speed walked up to the building and dashed in the door. Immediately standing by my locker I saw Rocky and our friend Clyde. They smiled when they saw me.

"So how'd last night go?" Rocky asked. I shrugged.

"Eh, a lot of yelling, but otherwise okay," I replied as I laughed.

"So what was so important?" Rocky asked placing an emphasis on the so.

"Kile was being a dick,"  
"So what's new?" Clyde asked. I laughed.

"Good point,"

"And speak of the devil…" Rocky said nodding towards the door I had just came in through. Marty walked up and stood between me and Clyde.

"Morning jerk offs and slut," he said smiling to all of us.

"Fuck you," Rocky and I said almost simultaneously. We laughed a bit. The warning bell rang. We all scattered in our separate directions to class.

After school well all met up to get hot dogs. The boys were having their own little discussion on how to get back at George for what he had done to Sam. I tried to ignore it all. After all, he was just a fat kid that ultimately didn't know any better. I laughed as they referred to him as though he was a pig. They ranted and raved as Rocky split off to walk Sam home. I stood with Clyde and Marty on the sidewalk.

"Boys want a ride home?" I asked. Clyde shook his head.

"I'm good, I feel like walking anyways," I nodded and looked at Marty.

"Sunshine?" I asked. He glared at me. Marty preferred to keep our relationship strictly platonic when we were out in public. For some reason, even though everyone knew about us, he didn't like to broadcast it. So when I used pet names in public he got very irritated with me. Clyde laughed. Marty shot a look at him and smirked.

"No thanks… Mallory," he said. I smiled and nodded.

"Okay then, see ya boys," I said as I turned and skipped towards my car.

"You're hanging out with us later right?" Clyde asked.

"Sure, we'll see," I replied with out turning.

I drove home listening only to the growl of my cars engine. I sat quietly thinking in the driveway. I saw my father's car in the bay as the door was open. I left my car in the driveway and walked into the garage; just incase I needed to make a quick get away. My mind froze and my feet followed suit. Nothing inside me wanted to enter that house. I took a deep breath in attempts to gather my courage and opened the door. My father sat at the kitchen table starring at a book. He didn't look up. I glanced over at him as I walked by.

"So how was school?" he asked. I stopped and looked back at him. He looked up slowly. What did he care? After taking a closer look at him I realized he looked like hell. I looked over at the counter and saw an empty fifth of vodka. I sighed.

"Have you been drinking?" I asked. He shook his head.

"No," he replied quietly. I dropped my bag and walked over to the counter. I wrapped my fingers around the neck of the bottle and held it up. He turned and looked at me.

"That's from last night," he explained. I nodded in disbelief. He pointed to a stack of papers on the counter. I glanced at them. They were county jail release papers. "DWI," he said. I shook my head.

"And what made you think should take it upon yourself to have that bestowed on you?" I asked bitterly. He rubbed his face with his hands. I took a step towards him when I noticed tears. I froze. What was I expected to do here? My father and I hadn't exchanged more than twenty civil words since my mother's death. Secretly I think we both wanted that to change. We both dreaded time spent together; not because we didn't like each other. Not even because we couldn't stand each other. We both craved open and friendly communication between us. It wouldn't come. I don't even think it was meant to. It hurt. Don't be mistaken; it killed.

"Mallory, why do we fight?" he asked. The question shocked me. It wasn't even that odd of a question. Any person with a brain who knew us might ask the same. I shrugged.

"Because we always have," I replied blandly. That was a horrible reason, but a reason none-the-less. He looked up to me. His eyes were tear stained and red. My heart swelled with hurt for him. Well; not just for him, but for us.

"That's not true. Before your…" he hesitated.

"Before mom died?" I replied. He nodded weakly.

"Before your mom died we got along fine, didn't we?" he asked.

"When you were around," I said plainly.

"You know, when I was young, my father was never around. He provided a very comfortable lifestyle, but he was never around," he began. "I always told myself I would be a better father than that. I always said I would be around. Now I've turned into my father."

"Dad, your job is what it is. I'm old enough to be on my own. I understand," I explained. He shook his head.

"No!" He yelled bitterly and slammed his fists down on the table. He looked up at me. "You're seventeen years old and practically living alone."

"Dad…"

"Mallory, what would you think about me finding a job around here? I could quit my job. You could take a week off of school. We could go somewhere nice for week. Get away. Then maybe sell the house. Get something smaller. I'll find a job around here. We can try to make up for lost time before it is too late," he rambled quickly. I didn't know why but tears welled up in my eyes. I couldn't believe it but I wanted to hug him. This wasn't just some 'hey kid lets get some ice cream proposal', this was a real, heart-felt, everything is going to change proposal.

"Do you mean it?" I asked. "I mean, this isn't just the hang over talking?" He nodded and stood up.

"I want to try again, be the father that I know I can be. Be the father your mother would want me to be," he said as he stretched his arms out. I smiled and hugged him.

"Thank you dad," I whispered as I choked back the tears. I took a step back and wiped the tears from my face.

"I have a surgery scheduled in Fort Lauderdale this weekend, but I'll be back Sunday night, and then we can go," he explained. I smiled.

"That sounds great,"

"Oh, and before I forget, I got you something," he said. "Wait here." He ran into the living room and came back with a picnic basket.

"You made me lunch?" I asked with a slight giggle. He laughed.

"Open it," he nodded setting it on the kitchen table. I cocked my head to the side and slowly lifted one side of the lid. Out of the darkness inside popped the head of a small brown and white Papillon puppy's head. Excitement erupted through me.

"A puppy?!" I screeched with excitement. "Why?"

"Well, I know how you and your mom used to always beg for a dog and I'd never let you get one. So I while I was at the grocery store after getting out of jail I saw a flyer advertising a litter of these guys," He explained. I picked the puppy up and cuddled it close to me. I ran and gave him another hug. "It's a girl; I figured you'd like that best."

"Thank you so much daddy!" I squealed. He smiled.

"So I was thinking we could take her to the store with us and get her some food and whatever we need for her," he suggested. I smiled. Well I didn't have anything better to do. So I agreed. I sat in the passenger's seat of his Mercedes with my new puppy in my lap. The car ride was rather silent. I don't think either of us felt as though anything needed to be said. We had so much to catch up on. We had a long time to catch up though. So really there was no rush. We shopped and got a collar, leash, brush, bed, bowls, and toys. He dropped me off at home and left to have dinner with a colleague. I set all of her stuff up and sat on the floor with her to try and think of a name. She seemed very shy. She licked my palm gently and looked up at me.

"Kirra," I said with an excited tone. She wagged her tail and chirped quietly. I smiled. "Kirra it is." I laughed. My phone vibrated in my pocket. I looked at the screen. Marty. I answered. "Hello?"

"Rory!" he said excitedly.

"Marty!" I replied sarcastically, "what's up?"

"Wanna come hang out with Rocky, Clyde and me at the cliffs?" he asked. I looked down at Kirra.

"How do you feel about dogs in your mom's car?" I asked.

"Well that depends, are you referring to any of us guys, or an actual dog?" he asked. I laughed.

"An actual dog, but let's not leave anything out," I joked.

"Where the hell did you get a dog?" he asked.

"Does it matter? Can I bring her or not?" I pressed. He sighed.

"I take it it's either you and the dog or neither,"  
"You got it Joe," I replied. He laughed.

"Fine, I'll pick you up in twenty," I laughed.

"Okay, see you then,"

"Bye,"

I hung up and looked down at Kirra. "You get to meet your new mommy's friends!" I said. She wiggled her butt with her tail happily. I headed to the kitchen and fed her and ate a sandwich myself quickly. I sat with her out on the front porch waiting for Marty to arrive. Things were starting to come together in my home life. I could only hope my social life would follow suit.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hey all, sorry it took so long to update, life gets busy I suppose. But hopefully everyone will enjoy. Thanks for reading.**

**-iwabo**

Chapter 4

"So what do you guys think?" Rocky asked from the back seat.

"Of what?" Marty asked with squinted eyes as he blew out a puff from the joint being passed around. He handed it to me and looked back at Rocky. I rolled my eyes and relayed the illegal role of paper to the back seat.

"The puppy duh!" Rocky said making a kissy face at Kirra who sat sleeping in my lap.

"Could you at least roll some windows down?" I asked impatiently. "She's only eight weeks old. I don't want her stoned out of her brain for the rest of her life." Everyone laughed.

"Well if she's anything like her new mom, she needs to be," Rocky said with a smirk.

"Fuck off jackass," I replied with a laugh.

"And on that note, I think it's a totally awesome plan," Marty said to Rocky.

"Do you really think he'll go for it?" Clyde asked.

"Come on, the fat boy will practically get a hard on the minute he picks up the phone," Marty replied.

Rocky laughed, "All I know is I'm getting a hard on just thinking about it."

I chuckled, "Doesn't take much does it?" I smirked at Rocky and raised an eyebrow. He rolled his eyes and passed the blunt to Marty. He took a hit and offered it to Clyde.

Clyde glared at him. "What have I told you?"

"You don't smoke herb," Marty suggested.

"Yeah, so get it out of my face,"

Marty rolled his eyes. "Faggot." Clyde sat back with an incensed look on his face. I glared at Marty. He looked at me annoyed. "I'm sorry." He held his fist towards Clyde. "Fist bump?" Clyde rolled his eyes and complied. "Besides I like your dad's Clyde. I never met any gay people before them. They're pretty cool." He turned to Rocky. "Don't you think so Rocky?" He asked with a lisp. Clyde groaned and got out of the car. Rocky sighed and climbed out to follow him. I frowned at Marty. "Oh come on Rore… he's being over sensitive."

"No, you're being an ass hole!" I answered as I turned to get out of the car. He grabbed my arm calmly.

"Wait," he said quietly.

"What Marty?"

"I'm sorry,"

"Well I'm not the one you need to be saying that to," I fumed.

"I'll apologize to him,"

"Good, thank you," I smirked and kissed him on the cheek.

He grinned. "So any chance I can make it up to you tonight?" He nudged my arm. I rolled my eyes and starred at him with a smirk for a moment.

"Well daddy is out of town tonight,"

"So does that mean…"

"Yes you may come stay the night," I blurted.

"Good, after we're done at Rocky's we'll pick up your car and drop mine off," he replied. I shrugged and nodded.

The sun set over the horizon as we arrived at Rocky's house. His dimly lit room was inhabited by only Sam. I sat on the couch next to Marty while Rocky walked around the room waiting for George to pick up the other line. Marty had the phone up to his ear while Clyde sat next to him listening in. I moved to the floor and played with Kirra.

"Hey is this George?" Rocky said after a few moments of silence. "Hey this is Rocky Merric, Sam's older brother… well I was just calling because this Saturday is actually Sam's birthday. And I know you two have been having some problems at school but it would really mean a lot to him if you'd come out on a boat trip with us." I raised an eyebrow at Marty and Clyde's faces as they attempted to hold in their laughter. Sometimes I wondered why I hung out with the guys I did.

"Oh also I wanted to ask that you not really tell anyone about this because we really didn't invite very many people and if you tell your parents they may tell the other kids parents who'll tell their kids then everyone will be sitting at home crying." He smirked and nodded his head at Sam as he ruffled his hair. "Alright so we'll pick you up around eleven? Sounds great, see you then." Rocky hung up the phone and laughed.

"So he went for it?" I asked. Rocky nodded.

"The kid practically had a hard on the minute he picked up the phone,"

"All I know is you guys better be ready to face the consequences after this is all over," I pointed out.

"You're a part of it you know," Marty pointed out.

"Yeah but my daddy don't give a shit," I replied with a southern accent.

"Oh and my mom does?" he asked.

"Good point, well Rocky and Clyde you'd better be prepared," I said while smiling. I looked up passed Rocky at the clock.

"Trust me, this will be totally worth it," Rocky assured us. I smirked and glanced at Marty.

"Well if it's okay with you boys I need to be getting home have a huge test tomorrow so I need my rest," I said calmly. Rocky raised an eyebrow and switched his glance from me to Marty, clearly not believing me.

Despite his skepticism he nodded, "alright that's cool, see you guys in the morning." I looked at Clyde as I picked Kirra up.

"You coming Clyde-o?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, see ya Rock, Sam," he said while waving. Marty got up and followed. I strutted over and gave Rocky half a hug.

"See you in the morning," I smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Stay tough kiddo." I winked at Sam and ruffled his hair as I bent down and kissed his forehead. He blushed and ducked out of my way. I followed the boys out and climbed in the passenger's seat of the station wagon. Marty dropped me and Kirra off first then headed towards Clyde's. I ran in the door and grabbed my keys off the wall. I placed Kirra in the small crate we bought her and jogged out to the garage.

My car still sat in the driveway. I slipped behind the wheel and drove to Marty's house. He stood out front looking impatient as always. I unlocked the doors as he strutted up and took his place in the passenger's seat. The short drive home was mostly silent. We pulled into my garage and entered the house. Marty snuck up behind me and wrapped his arms around me while simultaneously kissing my neck. I giggled and grabbed his hands pulling them off my waist. I turned around and smirked.

"Easy there killer, let's at least get upstairs," I kissed him on the lips and grabbed Kirra's cage with her still in it to place her in my room. Immediately after I had situated Kirra he pushed me down on the bed kissing my lips furiously. I allowed it knowing it would only lead to one thing, the one thing I had allowed for so long it didn't much matter anymore. My mind slipped into an almost comatose state.

I woke up drowsily to my alarm clock screaming good morning. I turned over and saw Marty rolled over probably drooling on my faded green pillow cases. I noticed Kirra still sleeping peacefully in her crate. I got up and grabbed my clothes finding my way to the bathroom. Climbing in the shower I figured it would be a safe bet that Marty would not be waking up from his sleep until I tossed a bucket of ice water over his head. After an unusually long shower and a quick hair dry I walked out of the bathroom to see an empty bed and an empty dog crate. I walked down stairs and looked out the back window seeing Marty wearing his school clothes already playing with Kirra in the back yard. I smiled and turned noticing the coffee pot already on. I pulled the sliding door open and stood with my arms crossed leaning against the door frame.

"Good morning sunshine," I said with a smirk. Marty looked up and smiled.

"Well you seemed to kind of zonk out on me last night so I actually god some sleep," he replied as he picked Kirra up and brought her up to the door. He kissed me on the lips and smirked. "Coffee then school?"

I nodded and raised an eyebrow, "sure, thanks for letting the dog out." He gave me a nod and walked past me.

"After all, we have a big day tomorrow, time to cook us some bacon," he laughed and placed Kirra on the floor.

I poured us each a cup of coffee and replaced Kirra in her cage. I grabbed my book bag and drug Marty out the door with me. As we pulled out on our way to school I couldn't help but think something felt different. I barely remembered the night before after getting home, but I still had yet to feel that connection I was so desperately seeking.


End file.
